Thomas Ince keen on Inter Milan move

Thomas Ince said he would relish the chance to sign for Inter Milan after the Serie A side confirmed their interest.

Ince's contract at Blackpool is set to expire this summer and there appears to be little prospect he will sign an extension at Bloomfield Road.

The England under-21 international spent the second half of the season on loan with Crystal Palace and, while the Eagles are eager to retain him on a permanent deal, he made only five starts for the Premier League club and appears keen to play more regularly.

At the weekend, Inter's sporting director, Piero Ausilio, told reporters his club were eager to tie up a deal for the 22-year-old, whose father, Paul, played for the Nerazzurri from 1995 to 1997.

"It's definitely not a done deal for Tom Ince," Ausilio said in comments reported on the club's official website. "He's a young player with an expiring contract. Him coming to Inter is an intriguing possibility because his dad played here, but nothing's been agreed yet. We're waiting for him to give us an answer."

The former Liverpool winger, who learned some Italian when living in Milan with his father, remains open to a move to a Premier League side but confirmed he would welcome the chance to play for Inter.

"As far as next season is concerned, I have options," he told Metro. "It would obviously be hard to turn down any club in the Premier League but, also, abroad might be a great opportunity -- there aren't many young English players abroad.

"I spent two years in Italy and the language barrier doesn't scare me. If a move there didn't work out, I'd still be young enough to come back to England and play. I think in England we're lazy and want everyone to speak English, but I'm lucky -- I've travelled and this could open up new challenges for me.

"There's no concrete bid from Inter but I read about their interest over the weekend and it is a massive club with a massive history. I'll think about what's best for me -- to have that option is fantastic. The biggest thing for me is to be playing every week."

Although his contract expires this summer, Blackpool would be due compensation if Ince leaves due to his age. The Blackpool Gazette reports that the Championship club could expect a "multi-million pound fee" if he joined another English side, but the amount would be significantly lower should he move abroad, with the Daily Mirror claiming Inter would have to pay only around 300,000 pounds.